Electric safe and vault protecting device



D. M. PEASE.

ELECTRIC SAFE AND VAULT PROTECTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I2. I918.

Patented Oct. 21,1919:

rm: cmx'mmn PLANOGRAPIf cdl, WASHINGTON, m c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DEXTER M. PEASE, 0F BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO MARK R. COLBY, OF

PORTLAND, OREGON.

ELECTRIC SAFE AND VAULT PROTECTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 21, 1919.

Application filed March 12, 1918. Serial No. 221,877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DEXTER M. PEASE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county ofAlameda and State of California, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Electric. Safe and Vault Protecting Devices, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a safe or vault and particularly pertains toelectrically operated means for controlling the doors thereof.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a safe or vaultwhich is so designed as to insure the protection thereof by the soundingof an alarm positioned within the safe in case the shell, doors or lookare molested by an unauthorized person, said alarm system being renderedinoperative only when controlled by the proper person or persons inpossession of certain keys thereto.

The present invention contemplates the use of a safe having a falsescreen covering the doors which are double walled, said walls beinginsulated from each other and included within electric circuits, saidcircuits also including a source of electrical energy, an alarm member,a switch and a relay, which elements constitute the electrical apparatuswith which the present invention is concerned and by which the safe isprotected.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective disclosing thesafe in its locked condition.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical transverse section through the safe,particularly illustrating the double safe walls, the control boX and thefalse front door or screen.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view in section and elevation illustrating thelock of thecontrol box and the manner in which its operation is directlycontrolled bv the false front door of the safe.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view disclosing one of the alarm pins bywhich a circuit is completed when the false door is opened.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating the manner in which a circuitis completed from the outer shell of the safe to the false door when thedoor is closed.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of theelectrical apparatus within the control drawer and the circuits includedtherewith.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a safe havingan inner shell 11 incased by an outer shell 12. These two shells aresuitably held with their walls in spaced relation to each other and aredielectrically separated. As here shown, the outer case is formed withan additional closure 13 within which a control drawer 141 is mounted.The drawer 14 is provided to accommodate a set of electrical instrumentswhich will be hereinafter described and which are among the vitalelements of the present invention.

The outer shell 12 is closed by a pair of safe doors l5 and 16 of commonconstruction and which are fitted with suitable locks. When these doorsare closed they are e11- tirely concealed beneath a false front door 17which covers the front of the safe and is mounted upon hinges 18. Thisdoor is of an all metal construction, it being understood that the innerand outer walls and the doors of the safe are of similar construction.When the false door 17 is in its closed position, it is held by suitablefastening locks 19 disposed along its side. The front panel of thedrawer 14- is also formed of metal so that when the safe is locked, theentire exposed outer surface thereof will be metal for a purpose whichwill hereinafter be set forth.

Positioned within the drawer 14: are a battery 21, a manually operatedswitch 22, a relay switch 23 and an alarm bell 24:. The battery isconnected by one pole with a metal face plate 25 of the drawer. Thisplate is insulated from the main body of the drawer, the sides of whichare indicated at 26 and are likewise of metal. The lock 27 of the draweris mounted upon the body portion 26 and is insulated from the face plate25. The oppositepole of the battery is connected by a conductor 28 withone pole of the bell. The opposite pole of the bell is connected to abinding post 29 of the relay switch apparatus by a conductor 30. Thispost is in turn connected by a conductor 31 to the plate 26 of thedrawer. One end of the relay coil is connected to this binding postwhile the opposite end is connected to contact with the inner shell.

a binding post 32, which post is also in com; munication with the belland the battery through a conductor 33. Disposed at the opposite end ofthe relay coil is an oscillating switch blade 34, which, when influencedby the coil, is drawn against contact binding posts 35 and 36. One ofthese posts is connected with the post 29 by means of a conductor 37,the other post being connected by a wire 38 with the switch 22 andanother wire 39 with a fixed contact 40 on the back of the drawer. Asimilar contact 41 is disposed upon the back of the drawer and iselectrically connected with the side plates 26. The contacts 40 and 41are insulated from each other and are adapted to bear againstcomplementary contact members i2 and 43 in separate communication withthe inner and outer shells 11 and 12 of the safe.

An alarm member cooperating with the lock 27 is particularly shown inFig. 3, where it will be seen that a spring-pressed bolt 4% is providedto normally obstruct the movement of the lock bolt. The bolt 4% iselectrically connected with the outer shell of the safe and is held outof engagement with the bolt of the lock 27 by means of a pin 45 whichextends inwardly through an opening in the face of the safe and iscarried by the screen or false door 17. Thus it will be seen that whenthis pin is relieved, the bolt L4 will press against the bolt of thelock and complete a circuit. This insures that the false door will notbe opened without' sounding an alarm.

In order that the door is not pried open at any point around itsperimeter, a series of contact pins 46 are disposed through openings inthe inner and outer shells, as particularly shown in Fig. 41. These pinsare spring-pressed and normally held out of However, when the false dooris relieved from pressure against the face of the safe, the pin willmore against the inner shell and complete a circuit from it to the outershell. hen the door of the safe is closed and the false door is disposedthereover, positive contact is made between the outer shell of the safeand this door by a spring contact member 47, shown in Fig. 5.

lVhe-n'the safe is locked by the fastening of its doors 15 and 16, itmay be further protected by concealing these doors behind the false door17 which is fastened in its closed position by the fastening members 19and 20. After the false door has been closed, the control drawer may beclosed and locked, it being necessary to move the bolt 4% from the pathof the lock bolt upon the closing of the false door before the drawercan be locked. lVhen the drawer is locked the contact members 4:0 and &1will be in communication with the contact members 42 and 43 respectivelyand in case the switch 22 has been closed a cuit will be completedbetween these shells by the tool and will pass along conductor 39through the switch and the battery, from thence along conductor-28 tothe bell and therethrough, thereafter completing a circuit through thecoil of the relay and a circuit through the metal side plate of thedrawer. The alarm bell will be sounded and the relay switch blade willbe influenced to )ermanently close the bell circuit so that the bellwill ring continuously until the drawer has been unlocked and the switchbroken.

In case the false door of the safe is relieved from pressure against thesafe face, the bolt .4 will bear against the bolt of the lock 27 andcomplete a circuit therethrough, sounding the alarm, or the pins 46 willcomplete a circuit between the shells. It will be evident that the falsedoor must be closed before the drawer is locked in order to move thebolt 4E4: out of contact with the belt of lock 27. Due to the fact thatthe lock is insulated from the face plate of the drawer,

care must be taken to prevent electrical contact between the lock andthis plate. If this is not done, the alarm circuit will also becompleted.

It will thus be seen that the safe here disclosed is provided with meansfor completely protecting it by a self-contained alarm system and aprotective casing which would effect the alarm when the safe is in anyway molested.

hile I have herein shown the preferred form of my invention as now knownto me, I wish it understood that various changes in the construction,combination and ar rangement of parts may be made by those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desir to secure byLetters Patent ise 7 1. In a device of the character described, a safehaving an outer metal wall, an inner metal wall insulated therefrom, aremovable control box inclosed within said outer wall,

an electrical alarm apparatus contained with-- 2. In a device of thecharacter described,

a safe having inner and outer dielectrically separated walls, a controldrawer mounted within the outer wall, an electrical alarm apparatuswithin the control drawer, and means whereby the closing of th drawerwill place all of the circuits of the apparatus in condition for closingand whereby electrical communication between the two walls will closethe circuit of the appara tus to sound the alarm.

In a device of the character described, a safe having inner and outerwalls, dielectrically disposed with relation to each other, a removablecontrol drawer inclosed by the outer wall, an electrical alarm apparatuswithin the control drawer, means whereby the control drawer may beclosed to include the safe walls in the electric circuit of the alarmapparatus, a screen adapted to be positioned over the doors of saidsafe, and means whereby the movement of the screen from its concealingposition will complete the circuit across the safe walls to theapparatus within the control drawer and sound an alarm.

4. In a device of the character described, a safe having inner and outerwalls dielectrically disposed with relation to each other, a controldrawer inclosed by the outer wall, an electrical alarm apparatus withinthe control drawer, a screen adapted to be positioned over the doors ofsaid safe, means whereby the movement of the screen from its concealingposition will complete the circuit of the apparatus within the controldrawer and sound an alarm, and means whereby the closing of the screenbefore the drawer is closed will complete said circuit to sound thealarm.

5. In a device of the character described, a safe having inner and outerwalls dielectrioally disposed with relation to each other,

a control drawer inclosed by the outer wall, an electrical alarmapparatus within the control drawer, a screen adapted to be posi tionedover the doors of said safe, means whereby the movement of the screenfrom its concealing position will complete the circuit of the apparatuswithin the control drawer and sound an alarm, a lock for said drawer,and means whereby an electrical contact may be made between the face ofthe drawer or the outer shell of the safe and the lock of the drawer.

6. In a device of the character described, a safe having inner and outerwalls dielectrically disposed with relation to each other, a

compartment fonmed by the outer wall, a drawer positioned within saidcompartment, a door normally closing the inner wall of the safe, aprotecting screen adapted to be disposed over the door, an alarmapparatus carried within the drawer, an electric circuit including thealarm apparatus, and the sep a rate walls of the safe when the drawer isclosed, and means whereby electric contact between the two safe walls orbetween the drawer and outer safe wall will complete the circuit throughthe alarm apparatus.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

DEXTER M. PEASE.

WVitnesses:

W. W. HEALEY, M. E. EWING.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0.

